Jonathon Crawford did not pitch like a man starved for run support on Saturday night. The junior surrendered six earned runs on 12 hits in six innings, taking the loss in Florida's 6-1 defeat to No. 2 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn. The loss was UF's first on the road this season.
Friday night started as a showcase of an elite Southeastern Conference pitcher. It ended with the coronation of another.
The Gators took off for Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday morning for their first Southeastern Conference road matchup this season.
Taylor Gushue got the cold shoulder from his teammates after one of his best moments this season.
The Gators’ frustration spilled over into a scuffle in the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss. Florida first baseman Vickash Ramjit exchanged words with Kentucky’s Matt Reida after another Wildcats runner scored. Umpires separated the two as coaches ran onto the field to diffuse the situation. UF had plenty to be frustrated about.
The Gators are still waiting for everything to come together.
Jonathon Crawford walked off the mound after a start that began with promise but ended with frustration. He left the bases loaded in the seventh. Crawford threw his glove in the dugout for good reason.
After Corey Stump pegged his second batter in a row, he put his face in his glove.
Tempers flared in the early going between Florida and Kentucky. Wildcats shortstop Matt Reida found himself in middle of rundown while stealing second. First baseman Vickash Ramjit applied a hard tag. Reida fell and pushed Ramjit while getting up. Benches cleared. First-base umpire Steve Manders yelled at the Florida dugout to get off the field.
Even though right-hander Jonathon Crawford has not been his best this season, coach Kevin O’Sullivan liked what he saw from his junior ace in a bullpen session on Wednesday. Crawford is returning to his sophomore form, which made him one of the top draft prospects heading into this year.
Josh: There’s no shame in what happened to the Gators on Tuesday night. Florida lost to an undefeated rival in No. 5 Florida State. However, what is cause for alarm is the Gators’ performance against much lesser competition. UF lost to North Florida and was swept by Florida Gulf Coast. How are the Gators supposed to turn things around playing teams from one of the nation’s best conferences every weekend if they can’t take care of business against the Atlantic Sun Conference?
Through the first 16 games of the season, Danny Young had thrown fewer innings than any Florida pitcher aside from Bobby Poyner, who didn’t make his first appearance of the season until Sunday.
The Gators and the Seminoles have reversed roles.
The flashes have been there. UF has proven capable of catching fire offensively this season.
A day after playing what coach Kevin O’Sullivan called one of their best games of the season, the Gators had one of their worst outings to date.
The Gators put themselves in a hole for the second straight game on Saturday.
Indiana didn’t need any extra bases on Friday.
Coach Kevin O’Sullivan met with freshman right-hander Mike Vinson on Wednesday morning. Vinson struggled while facing two batters in Jacksonville and hadn’t consistently thrown strikes all year.
Unlike his teammates, Connor Mitchell didn’t have any opportunities to waste. The redshirt sophomore singled home Vickash Ramjit on the first pitch he saw for a walk-off win against Jacksonville.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Johnny Magliozzi struts out to the mound every appearance as “Wild Thing” blares from the speakers. With his season so far, the tune from “Major League” doesn’t suit him. Sure the right-hander from Boston has the same bravado Ricky Vaughn terrorized hitters with. But, the sophomore pounds the strike zone and rarely finds himself behind a batter. He’s bought into the Sully System and it’s time Florida’s relievers take his lead.
Solutions by The State News
